Drugs: Rehabilitation

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost of a drug rehabilitation requirement was in the latest period for which figures are available; how many such requirements are in force; how many such requirements made in respect of persons(a)of each sex and(b)each age group were (i) made, (ii) successfully completed and (iii) breached by non-compliance in each of the last three years.

Crispin Blunt: The drug rehabilitation requirement (DRR) is the primary means for sentenced offenders to address their drug misuse as part of a community order or suspended sentence order. The costs of the DRR cover treatment, which is funded by drug (and alcohol) action teams (D(A)ATs) in England, and the costs of managing the requirement by local Probation Trusts.
	Significant local variations in D(A)AT commissioning practice and costs of treatment modalities have made it difficult to establish the average cost of the treatment element of a DRR.
	Detailed work to cost the services funded by NOMS estimates the average direct cost of supporting a DRR. This is the cost per completion at different levels of intensity for different lengths of requirement, each of which relate to the seriousness of the offence and the extent of the offender's needs.(1) The estimates are as follows, and are contained in published information which has been placed in both Libraries.
	
		
			 Table 1: Cost per completion ("does cost ") of DRR by type and length 
			 £ 
			  Intensity 
			 DRR duration (months) Low Medium High 
			 6 1,010 2,165 2,682 
			 9 1,409 3,096 3,838 
			 12 2,244 4,067 5,040 
			 18 3,047 5,969 7,397 
		
	
	The most recent analysis of the case load found that on 31 December 2010 there were 8,114 community orders with a DRR and 3,127 suspended sentence orders with a DRR in force.
	The following table shows the number of DRR commencements, successful completions, and revocations for non-compliance following breach proceedings broken down by age and gender in each of the last three years for which full information is available(2). Data on the number of applications made for a summons or warrant to return the offender to court for breach is not collected centrally by type of requirement.
	The proportion of offenders successfully completing DRRs rose from 47% in 2008-09 to 56% in 2009-10(3). This is encouraging because we know from research relating to the drug treatment and testing order (DTTO), which was replaced by the DRR, that offenders who complete orders have significantly lower reconviction rates (53%) than those that do not (91%)(4), although it is not possible to attribute this difference entirely to the programme.
	NOMS recently undertook a delivery review of DRRs which recommended the overhaul of starts and completion targets with clear outcome focused measures.
	(1) The DRR can be used for low, medium and high sentencing bands. The amount and intensity of the drug treatment delivered under the DRR can be tailored to individual treatment needs regardless of the seriousness of the offence. The content and duration of the total community order should provide the overall restriction of liberty which is commensurate with the seriousness of the offence.
	(2) These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.
	(3) Ministry of Justice {2010) National Offender Management Service Annual Report 2009/10: Management Information Addendum. London: Ministry of Justice.
	(4) Hough, M., Clancy, A., McSweeney, T. and Turnbull, P.J. (2003) The Impact of Drug Treatment and Testing Orders on offending: two year reconviction results. Home Office Research Findings No. 184. London: Home Office.
	
		
			 Number of drug rehabilitation requirements (DRRs) commenced, successfully completed and revoked for failure to comply 2008-10 
			   Male 
			   18-20 21-24 25-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+ All 
			 2008          
			 Community order Commencements 481 1,334 2,755 4,243 1,403 134 5 10,355 
			  Completions 156 389 768 1,300 505 59 1 3,178 
			  Revoked (failure to comply) 30 63 148 198 57 1 0 497 
			           
			 Suspended sentence order Commencements 200 510 944 1,411 409 48 0 3,522 
			  Completions 52 149 244 406 130 18 1 1,000 
			  Revoked (failure to comply) 10 25 54 70 14 0 0 173 
			           
			 2009          
			 Community order Commencements 402 1,173 2,405 4,060 1,327 169 8 9,544 
			  Completions 170 505 1,076 1819 716 89 6 4,381 
			  Revoked (failure to comply) 26 54 102 155 39 3 0 379 
			           
		
	
	
		
			 Suspended sentence order Commencements 154 426 894 1,351 441 54 5 3,325 
			  Completions 83 162 279 498 200 13 1 1,236 
			  Revoked (failure to comply) 12 16 33 39 7 0 0 107 
			           
			 2010          
			 Community order Commencements 453 1,213 2,239 3,903 1,498 172 7 9,485 
			  Completions 170 467 889 1746 685 77 9 4,043 
			  Revoked (failure to comply) 22 47 93 138 33 1 0 334 
			           
			 Suspended sentence order Commencements 139 421 812 1,483 436 43 8 3,342 
			  Completions 53 171 332 555 246 29 4 1,390 
			  Revoked (failure to comply) 7 16 18 51 6 1 0 99 
		
	
	
		
			   Female  
			   18-20 21-24 25-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+ All Total 
			 2008           
			 Community order Commencements 200 493 767 1,008 308 22 1 2,799 13,154 
			  Completions 54 130 206 275 91 15 1 772 3,950 
			  Revoked (failure to comply) 12 27 55 52 19 2 0 167 664 
			            
			 Suspended sentence order Commencements 41 128 239 285 83 6 0 782 4,304 
			  Completions 11 31 63 83 26 1 0 215 1,215 
			  Revoked (failure to comply) 6 12 12 14 3 0 0 47 220 
			            
			 2009           
			 Community order Commencements 166 453 640 967 296 20 1 2,543 12,087 
			  Completions 53 171 277 411 141 9 2 1,064 5,445 
			  Revoked (failure to comply) 12 26 37 54 19 0 0 148 527 
			            
			 Suspended sentence order Commencements 37 145 218 271 107 17 0 795 4,120 
			  Completions 16 50 86 96 46 1 0 295 1,531 
			  Revoked (failure to comply) 2 8 15 11 4 0 0 40 147 
			            
			 2010           
			 Community order Commencements 142 429 704 932 280 22 2 2,511 11,996 
			  Completions 49 134 247 388 139 9 1 967 5,010 
			  Revoked (failure to comply) 11 33 35 34 6 1 0 120 454 
			            
			 Suspended sentence order Commencements 53 100 179 315 79 7 0 733 4,075 
			  Completions 14 50 73 123 59 9 0 328 1,718 
			  Revoked (failure to comply) 1 4 8 12 1 0 0 26 125

Homicide: Convictions

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions for offences of (a) murder, (b) rape and (c) unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor there have been in each year since 1997; and what proportion of such convictions followed a guilty plea at the first instance in each such year.

Crispin Blunt: Defendants pleading guilty at the Crown Court for either, murder, rape or sexual activity with a child, the total number of offenders found guilty for these offences and the proportion of convictions where a guilty plea was given, England and Wales 1997 to 2010 are shown in the table.
	It is not possible to determine from the Ministry of Justice court proceeding database at what stage a defendant pleaded guilty or not guilty.
	
		
			 Defendants pleading guilty at the Crown Court for either, murder, rape or sexual activity with a child, the total number of offenders found guilty for these offences and the proportion of convictions where a guilty plea was given, England and Wales 1997 to 2010  (1,2) 
			 Offence and outcome 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Murder               
			 Found guilty 275 256 252 261 285 324 277 361 394 372 369 439 376 346 
			 No. of guilty pleas 27 44 49 40 55 55 60 90 92 87 96 84 87 72 
			 Proportion of convictions where a guilty plea was given (%) 10 17 19 15 19 17 22 25 23 23 26 19 23 21 
			                
			 Rape               
			 Found guilty 615 674 654 593 569 651 671 748 787 854 860 913 984 1,037 
			 No. of guilty pleas 231 237 246 215 213 258 259 310 361 395 385 406 443 466 
			 Proportion of convictions where a guilty plea was given (%) 38 35 38 36 37 40 39 41 46 46 45 44 45 45 
			                
			 Sexual activity with a child(3)               
			 Found guilty 167 179 155 164 168 177 198 268 522 726 694 780 801 902 
			 No. of guilty pleas 145 163 139 139 152 165 181 244 435 584 575 626 658 744 
			 Proportion of convictions where a guilty plea was given (%) 87 91 90 85 90 93 91 91 83 80 83 80 82 82 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Prior to 2003 sexual activity with a child was classed as unlawful sexual intercourse with a child under Sexual Offences Act 1956. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Banks: Regulation

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what sanctions he has considered introducing in the event that the banks participating in Project Merlin do not meet their lending targets;
	(2)  what sanctions Ministers and officials of his Department and representatives of the banking sector discussed imposing in the event that banks participating in Project Merlin did not meet their agreed lending targets during the negotiations for that agreement.

Mark Hoban: On 9 February, the Chancellor announced a new commitment by the UK’s biggest high street banks on lending expectations and capacity. As part of this commitment, the banks intend to lend £190 billion of new credit to businesses in 2011, up from £179 billion in 2010. If demand exceeds this, the banks will lend more. £76 billion of this lending will be to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is a 15% increase on 2010 lending of £66 billion.
	The commitment to make new lending to SMEs are part of the performance metrics of each bank’s chief executive and those of the senior managers responsible for SME lending. The Government reserve the right to return to this issue and take further measures if the banks fail to live up to their commitments.

Lord's Resistance Army

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Governments of (a) the Democratic Republic of Congo,(b)Uganda and(c)Rwanda on the activities of the Lords Resistance Army.

Henry Bellingham: We have regularly discussed the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) with key partners, including the Governments of Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and UN Peacekeeping Operations in the region. These discussions, which have taken place bilaterally, at the International Working Group (IWG) on the LRA and at the UN Security Council, have been with a view to helping to improve co-ordination amongst those countries and organisations that are working to reduce the threat posed by the LRA to civilians in the region.
	Discussions have covered the joint military effort to pursue the remaining LRA units in DRC, Central African Republic and South Sudan; work by UN agencies on disarming, demobilising and repatriating LRA combatants; and the work of UN agencies and Non-Government Organisations to provide humanitarian relief to LRA affected areas.

Great Western Railway Line

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for journey time improvements to the Great Western main line between South Wales and London other than by electrification; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The new fleet of trains procured by the Intercity Express programme will reduce journey times from Cardiff to London Paddington by seventeen minutes and Swansea to London Paddington by twenty minutes. The journey time reductions are a result of the trains' faster acceleration, shorter station dwell times and a revised service pattern, and are not caused by electrification as such.
	Furthermore, because modern trains accelerate very much faster, Network Rail is reviewing whether any speed limits along the line of route might be increased so as to maximise the benefit of this improved acceleration.

Aid Workers: Misrata

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to assist aid workers in Misrata.

Andrew Mitchell: During the two month siege of Misrata by Gaddafi's forces, the UK provided essential support to humanitarian organisations. This included food, medical supplies and personnel. We also supported the evacuation of 5000 people stranded at the port.

Libya: International Assistance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the UN Secretary General on post-conflict resolution planning and delivery of humanitarian aid to Libya; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: I met the UN Secretary-General at the end of March at the London Libya Conference. I welcomed his leadership on the co-ordination of humanitarian assistance and supported his role in post-conflict planning to bring stability to Libya once a political settlement is in place.
	The UK recognises that there are immediate stabilisation needs that must be addressed in the interim. We have therefore deployed a stabilisation response team to conduct an assessment of interim needs and help underpin the international stabilisation effort in Libya.
	We will continue to work closely with the United Nations, including through the Secretary-General's special adviser on post-conflict planning in Libya and the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Co-ordinator, and their teams. The UK is supporting the UN-led international effort to deliver immediate humanitarian assistance to those affected by the conflict, and to work towards a better future for the Libyan people.

Charitable Donations: Schools

David Blunkett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the Giving White Paper, what assessment he has made of the role of the Speakers for Schools programme to play in the promotion of the policies outlined in the White Paper; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The aim of ‘Speakers for Schools’ is to encourage inspirational, high profile figures from a range of backgrounds to speak for free in state schools—giving them access to the sorts of networks which private schools have. In recognition that Government can do much to lead the way in this agenda, both in terms of demonstrating commitment to giving their time and by inspiring others to do the same, all members of the Cabinet have signed up to the scheme, which is non-political, and already has significant cross-party support.

Health and Social Care Bill

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will visit Brighton Pavilion constituency to hear the views of members of the public on the Health and Social Care Bill at a public meeting.

Simon Burns: In April 2011, the Government announced that it would take advantage of a natural break in the legislative process to ‘pause, listen, and reflect’on people's concerns with a view to bringing forward improvements to the Health and Social Care Bill.
	As part of the listening exercise the health ministerial team along with members of the NHS Future Forum, have visited every region in the country to listen to views of the public, staff and patients. Members of the public have also been able to have their say via the NHS modernisation website:
	http://healthandcare.dh.gov.uk/
	We do not have any immediate plans to visit the Brighton area to discuss the Health and Social Care Bill in the coming weeks.

Community Hospitals: Eltham

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he expects the contract to build a new community hospital in Eltham to be let for tender; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what date he has set for the opening of a new community hospital in Eltham; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  if he will assess the effects of staffing reductions at Greenwich Primary Care and Teaching Trust on the ability of the Trust to (a) plan, monitor and develop health services in the borough and (b) progress development of a new community hospital in Eltham; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: It is for the local national health service to plan and provide services to meet the health needs of its local population. NHS London advises my officials that Greenwich Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT) is currently working with its construction partner the Bromley, Bexley and Greenwich construction company to prepare a Stage 1 Outline Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) business case for approval both by the Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Committee and joint PCT boards in July 2011. I understand that the local NHS will be keeping the hon. Member informed of progress and is happy to answer any questions he has regarding this project.

Neuromuscular Services

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress has been made by the NHS South East Coast Specialised Commissioning Group in reviewing neuromuscular services in the region; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: This is a matter for the national health service locally. We have been advised by the South East Coast strategic health authority that the South East Coast Specialised Commissioning Group (SECSCG), which commissions neuromuscular services on behalf of the region has now completed its review. The review's findings have been published in a report entitled “Better Co-ordination; Better Care—A review of services for people with Neuromuscular Conditions in the South East Coast” which is available on the SECSCG's website at:
	www.secscg.nhs.uk/home/news
	Following the review, initiatives are underway throughout the South East Coast region to implement its recommendations. These include programmes to improve access to, and join up, services for people with neuromuscular disease. Work is also underway to provide a care pathway coordinator post to provide advice and information for patients and carers, by September 2011.

NHS: Negligence

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS Litigation Authority paid in damages to successful claimants in each of the last three years; and how many and what proportion of cases in which the Authority paid damages to claimants in each such year were settled or lost (a) at trial and (b) within six weeks of trial.

Simon Burns: The information to show how much the NHS Litigation Authority paid in damages to successful claimants in each of the last three years is in the following tables.
	
		
			 Number of clinical negligence claims closed with damages 2008-09 to 2010-11 
			 Year of closure Number of claims Damages paid (£) 
			 2008-09 2,986 278,038,411 
			 2009-10 3,758 267,332,564 
			 2010-11 5,259 499,478,033 
			 Total 12,003 1,044,849,007 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of clinical negligence claims settled as periodical payments 2008-09 to 2010-11 
			 Year of settlement Number of claims Total d  amages(£  ) 
			 2008-09 131 552,136,757 
			 2009-10 128 504,736,479 
			 2010-11 130 547,337,006 
			 Total 389 1,604,210,242 
			 Notes: 1. Data in relation to how many and what proportion of cases in which the authority paid damages to claimants in each year were settled or lost (a) at trial and (b) within six weeks of trial can be provided only at disproportionate cost. 2. Data on damages pertaining to date of settlement can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Source: NHS Litigation Authority May 2011

NHS: Negligence

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of (a) all legally-aided claims and (b) all claims brought by minors were made to the NHS Litigation Authority on behalf of a minor and funded through legal aid in each of the last three years.

Simon Burns: Information on legally aided claims brought by minors as a percentage of all legally aided claims received by year is shown in the following table provided by the NHS Litigation Authority.
	
		
			 Number of clinical negligence claims funded by legal aid received 2008-09 to 2010-11 
			  Legally aided claims on behalf of a minor All legally aided claims Legally aided claims on behalf of a minor as percentage of all legally aided claims 
			 2008-09 520 1,532 34 
			 2009-10 446 1,341 33 
			 2010-11 414 1,333 31 
			 Total 1,380 4,206 33 
			 Source: National Health Service Litigation Authority (May 2011)

Crisis Loans

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his Department's impact assessment on proposals for the localisation of crisis loans and community grants, when he expects to publish his Department's assessment of the costs and benefits of the proposals.

Steve Webb: Our proposal is to replace Community Care Grants with local provision. Crisis Loans will be replaced by a combination of local provision and payments on account of benefit. Local provision will be the responsibility of local authorities in England and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales. Payments on account will be delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions.
	We published a call for evidence on the proposals for local provision on 17 February which contained consideration of the benefits of local delivery. If there are new administrative burdens on local authorities they will be funded by the Department for Work and Pensions in the usual way.

Disposable Income

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate has been made of the level of personal disposable income in real terms in each year since 1981.

Chris Grayling: Estimates of equivalised household disposable incomes are available in the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series, produced by the Department for Work and Pensions, which is why the question has been transferred from the Cabinet Office to the Department for Work and Pensions.
	The Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. This data is at a household not individual level.
	
		
			 Table 1:   Median equivalised household income 1990-91 to 2009-10, in 2009-10 prices 
			 £ per week 
			  Before Housing Costs After Housing Costs 
			 1981 (UK) 254 206 
			 1987 (UK) 292 236 
			 1988-89 (UK) 313 256 
			 1990-91 (UK) 321 261 
			 1991-92 (UK) 322 263 
			 1992-93 (UK) 323 264 
			 1993-95 (UK) 328 270 
			 1994-95 (GB) 323 262 
		
	
	
		
			 1995-96 (GB) 323 263 
			 1996-97 (GB) 338 277 
			 1997-98 (GB) 344 282 
			 1998-99 (GB) 349 288 
			 1999-2000 (GB) 360 300 
			 2000-01 (GB) 371 312 
			 2001-02 (GB) 389 329 
			 2002-03 (UK) 396 341 
			 2003-04 (UK) 396 343 
			 2004-05 (UK) 400 348 
			 2005-06 (UK) 404 353 
			 2006-07 (UK) 405 355 
			 2007-08 (UK) 406 357 
			 2008-09 (UK) 409 354 
			 2009-10 (UK) 413 356 
			 Notes: 1. FES figures are for the United Kingdom, FRS figures are for Great Britain up to 2001-02, and for the United Kingdom from 2002-03. The reference period for FRS figures is single financial years. FES figures are two combined calendar years from 1990-91 to 1992-93 and two financial years combined for 1993-95. 2. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. Figures have been presented on a Before Housing Cost and an After Housing Cost basis. For Before Housing Costs, housing costs (such as rent, water rates, mortgage interest payments, buildings insurance payments and ground rent and service charges) are not deducted from income, while for After Housing Costs they are. 4. Disposable incomes have been used to answer the question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax, payments, national insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes. 5. Incomes are presented in 2009-10 prices and have been rounded to the nearest £ sterling. 6. The majority of these statistics are publicly available in the Households Below Average Income Report on the DWP website: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbai Sources: 1. Family Expenditure Survey (FES) 1990-91 to 1993-95 2. Family Resources Survey (FRS)1994-95 to 2009-10

Employment and Support Allowance

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) men and (b) women claimed income-related employment and support allowance for themselves and a partner in the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Miller: The information requested is given as follows.
	
		
			 Income-related employment support allowance claimants with a partner, by gender at November 2010 
			  All income-based With partner payment 
			 All persons 322,450 51,080 
			 Female 142,800 15,880 
		
	
	
		
			 Male 179,650 35,200 
			 Notes:  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  2. Employment and support allowance (ESA) replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008.  3. Benefit type—The type of ESA is defined as pay status at the caseload date—this may differ to the status at the start or end of the claim.  4, Data in this table are for those receiving income-based ESA, but includes a small number of people entitled to both contributory and income-based ESA.  5. Figures for partners are only shown where an increase is in payment for a dependant adult. Source:  DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100%.

Employment Schemes: Mental Illness

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Work programme will support people with mental health problems into work; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The work programme will cater for a wide range of customer groups, including many with disabilities and health issues, including mental health issues.
	Harder to help customers will be able to access the programme early if appropriate and we will pay providers more to support them. For example, if a provider supports a customer moving from incapacity benefits to employment and support allowance into sustained employment, they can earn almost £14,000.
	We have not told providers what they must do to support customers except that they should provide a truly personalised service that addresses their customers' specific challenges, including through partnership work with local health care providers. They will be free to innovate to find new and more effective ways of overcoming a range of disadvantages, including those with mental health conditions.
	Many customers with disabilities are eligible for in work support through Access to Work, and those referred to the Work programme will remain eligible for the elements of this which providers couldn't reasonably be expected to offer.

English Language: Education

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions (a) he and (b) the Minister for Employment have had with (i) the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and (ii) the Minister for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning on the proposal to only offer free courses in English for speakers of other languages to those in receipt of active benefits.

Chris Grayling: Ministers and officials in the Department for Work and Pensions worked closely with their counterparts in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to develop the Government's strategy on skills for sustainable growth. For people who do not have the necessary English language skills to find work, the Government recognises the importance of English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) training in helping them gain employment and to contribute to society. It is equally vital that where people are required to engage in the labour market as a condition of receiving benefits that appropriate support is in place. The Government's priority is therefore to focus the available resources of publicly-funded ESOL provision on people whose lack of English is preventing them from finding work.

Housing Benefit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of excluding from the amount liable for the total household benefit cap (a) child benefit, (b) child tax credit, (c) childcare costs and (d) any amount of the universal credit awarded in respect of children in each of the next five financial years.

Chris Grayling: The spending review 2010 announced that from 2013 we will introduce a cap on the total amount of benefit that working-age people can receive so that households on out-of-work benefits will no longer receive more in welfare payments than the average weekly wage for working households. The benefit cap is intended to promote fairness between those in and out of work and to increase incentives for people to move into work or increase their hours of employment.
	On its introduction we estimate that household benefit payments will be capped at around £500 per week for couple and lone parent households and around £350 per week for single adult households.
	If the benefit cap were applied as described in the spending review the savings to the Exchequer are estimated to be £225 million in 2013-14 and £270 million in 2014-15.
	Estimates suggest that excluding (a) child benefit from the calculation of the household benefit cap would reduce savings to approximately £115 million in 2013-14 and £140 million 2014-15, while excluding (b) child tax credit would reduce savings to approximately £40 million in 2013-14 and £50 million in 2014-15. Figures are not available for 2015-16 and beyond.
	Working tax credit recipients (including those receiving child care support through WTC) are excluded from the benefit cap, therefore excluding support paid for (c) child care costs through working tax credit from the benefit cap will have no impact on the overall savings.
	The information requested in section (d) is not available as the estimated savings from the benefit cap in universal credit will depend upon final detailed design issues regarding the treatment of in-work households.
	Note that estimates above are based on the current benefit system including changes announced in the spending review 2010, but excluding universal credit.
	Analysis of those affected by the benefit cap has been modelled using survey data—as such there is a degree of uncertainty around the results.

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the additional cost to the public purse of exempting from the total household benefit cap households that would be worse off in work once childcare costs are taken into consideration in each of the next five financial years.

Chris Grayling: The total amount of childcare costs depends on individual families' circumstances and therefore we are unable to make an accurate assessment of the proportion of households affected by the benefit cap that would be worse off in work.

Motability: Finance

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much funding his Department provided for the Motability scheme in each of the last 10 years.

Maria Miller: Motability is an independent charity and is wholly responsible for the administration of the Motability scheme. Motability is largely self financed and the only funding the Department for Work and Pensions gives the scheme relates to the Specialised Vehicles Fund, which Motability administers on our behalf. Information on the amount of funding allocated to Motability in respect of the Specialised Vehicles Fund and its administration in each of the last 10 years is contained in the following table.
	
		
			 Funding for the Specialised Vehicle Fund and its administration over the last 10 years 
			 £000 
			  Specialised Vehicles Fund Administration 
			 2001-02 6,597 2,200 
			 2002-03 6,997 2,200 
			 2003-04 7,772 2,600 
			 2004-05 8,375 2,700 
			 2005-06 8,615 2,800 
			 2006-07 9,087 2,800 
			 2007-08 12,700 2,960 
			 2008-09 17,036 2,960 
			 2009-10 17,036 2,208 
			 2010-11 17,036 1,208 
			 Note:  The Specialised Vehicles Fund provides financial assistance to those severely disabled scheme customers who require complex vehicle adaptations that allow them to enter a car as a passenger while remaining seated in their wheelchair or enables them drive their car while seated in their wheelchair.

Poverty: Children

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to reduce child poverty in (a) the London borough of Bexley and (b) London.

Maria Miller: The national child poverty strategy, published on 5 April this year, sets out how we will reduce child poverty across the UK. In addition to setting out how national reforms—such as the introduction of universal credit—will help reduce child poverty across the UK, the strategy also sets out local areas’ key role in tackling child poverty. Through decentralising power, reducing bureaucracy and greater local accountability we are giving local areas the freedom they need to tackle the particular root causes of child poverty in their area; for example the first phase of community budgets aimed at tackling families with multiple problems are being implemented in 16 local areas including eight London boroughs.
	The universal credit will support those who do the right thing, who take a full-time job to have an income which lifts them out of poverty. Our proposed design should enable most families with children who have a parent in full-time employment to have an income that lifts them out of poverty. The same should apply for lone parents who work at least 24 hours a week or more. The six contractors for London were announced in April and the programme will be rolled-out in London over the coming months.
	The strategy also sets put the Child Poverty Core Offer of sector-led support that is available to all local authorities to help them implement their duties to reduce child poverty under Part II of the Child Poverty Act. As part of the Government’s wider goal to free-up policy delivery to target local need, we will continue to push power away from the centre to local government, communities and voluntary sectors, to help those families in difficulties make their voices heard.

Children: Hearing Impairment

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what financial support his Department (a) has provided in each of the last three years and (b) plans to provide in 2011-12 and 2012-13 for hearing access equipment for deaf children in Walsall;
	(2)  what financial support his Department (a) has provided in each of the last three years and (b) plans to provide in 2011-12 and 2012-13 for speech and language therapy services for deaf children in Walsall;
	(3)  what financial support his Department (a) has provided in each of the last three years and (b) plans to provide in 2011-12 and 2012-13 for specialist education support services for deaf children in Walsall.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 19 May 2011
	Funding data specifically for hearing access equipment; for speech and language therapy services; and for specialist education support for deaf children is not collected by the Department. However, the available information on the net expenditure planned by Walsall local authority on the provision of education for pupils with special educational needs in the last three years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Planned (net) provision for pupils with SEN in Walsall 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Walsall 2,194,262 2,826,359 3,272,071 
		
	
	The Department is currently collecting the s251 Budget data for the 2011-12 financial year. The information will not be publicly available until later in the year, when it will be published as Official Statistics.

Schools: Standards

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research his Department has conducted on the cost-effectiveness of packages of education, care and health support in (a) non-maintained and (b) maintained special schools.

Sarah Teather: It is for local authorities to determine the cost effectiveness of the school to be named in a child's statement of special educational needs. In determining the school to be named a local authority will take into account whether the placement is suitable to meet the child's age, ability aptitude and type of SEN; whether the placement is compatible with the efficient education of other children with whom the child will be educated; and whether the placement is an efficient use of local authority resources, which will include the cost effectiveness of the placement. The fees charged by non-maintained special schools will vary with the individual needs of each child and are contractual matters to be decided between the school and local authority. Maintained special schools are currently funded in accordance with an authority's local funding formula determined in discussion with its schools forum. The first part of a two part consultation on school funding reforms closed on 25 May 2011 and full details are available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/consultations/index.cfm?action=conResults&consultationId=1756 &external=no&menu=3

Advantage West Midlands

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to make a decision on the future ownership of the Ansty Business Park in Coventry following the closure of Advantage West Midlands.

Mark Prisk: Each regional development agency (RDA), including Advantage West Midlands (AWM) has developed a detailed plan for the disposal and treatment of its assets and liabilities and scrutiny of these is continuing. We have agreed aspects of AWM’s assets and liabilities plan and are still in discussions about others, including the future of the Ansty Business Park. In line with my previous answers on this issue disposals will be made in a way that secures best value for the taxpayer and minimises costs. It will be for AWM to set out a strategy for disposing of individual sites and assets.

Apprentices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding he has allocated to support (a) apprenticeship places, (b) advanced apprenticeship places and (c) higher apprenticeship places in 2011-12.

Mark Prisk: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 8 February 2011, Official Report, columns 208-09W, to his question asking what funding has been allocated for (a) apprenticeship places, (b) advanced apprenticeship places and (c) higher apprenticeship places in 2011-12; and what funding was allocated in each such category in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11.
	The Apprenticeships programme is demand led. Government does not plan apprenticeship places by level but provides funding and forecasts the overall number of places that may be afforded. We rely on employers and providers to work together to offer sufficient opportunities to meet local demand, taking advantage of the greater freedoms and flexibilities that we have created in the further education system.
	In 2009-10, the planned expenditure on participation in apprenticeship training was £1,042 million(1). The apprenticeship budget for the 2010-11 financial year is £1,328 million(2): £780 million for 16 to 18-year-olds; £548 million for 19+. We expect to spend over £1,400 million in the 2011-12 financial year: £799 million for 16 to 18-year-olds; £605 million for those aged 19 and over(3).
	The total volume of apprenticeship starts in 2009/10 was 279,700. This is an increase of 16.6% compared to 2008/09. Of these there were:
	190,500 apprenticeship (Level 2) starts-a 20.2% increase on 2008/09;
	87,700 advanced apprenticeship (Level 3) starts-a 7.9% increase on 2008/09;
	1,500 higher level apprenticeship (Level 4+) starts-a large increase on 2008/09.
	We have ensured there is sufficient funding in place to train over 350,000 apprentices in England in the 2010/11 academic year. For the 2011/12 academic year, our indicative forecast is to fund over 360,000 apprenticeship places. The levels that these places are at will be determined by the level of skills employers actually need in their business.
	Provisional data shows that there were 119,800 apprenticeship starts in the first quarter of the 2010/11 academic year. Of these there were:
	76,300 apprenticeship (Level 2) starts;
	42,300 advanced apprenticeship (Level 3) starts; and
	1,200 higher level apprenticeship (Level 4 or higher) starts.
	We are committed to improving, expanding and re-shaping apprenticeships so that Level 3 becomes the level to which learners and employers should aspire. We will also ensure there are clear routes into apprenticeships to widen access to the programme, and clear routes into higher level skills training including, but not exclusively, Level 4 apprenticeships.
	(1) LSC grant letter for 2009-10
	http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/National/nat-statementofpriorities200910-nov08.pdf
	(2) 16-18 figs: DCSF 16-19 Statement of Priorities and Investment Strategy 2010-11; 19+figs: SFA Funding Letter
	(3) 16-18 figures: 16-19 Funding Statement, YPLA (December 2010); 19+ figures: Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth, BIS (November 2010)

Business: Higher Education

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant the answer of 27 January 2011, Official Report, columns 485-6W, on business: higher education, how much funding was allocated to encouraging partnerships between universities and businesses in each of the last five years; how much such funding has been allocated through (a) the Research Council Pathways to Impact, (b) HEFCE's Research Excellence Framework, (c) the Higher Education Innovation Funding and (d) as a result of ongoing collaboration between the Research Councils and the Technology Strategy Board for each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: holding answer 15 March 2011
	Research Council Pathways to Impact are not a system for allocating separate funding. The first Research Excellence Framework assessment will be completed in 2014, it will inform research funding allocations from 2015. In respect of higher education innovation funding, I refer you to my answer of 21 January 2011, Official Report, column 977W.
	The scale of Research Council activity aligned with the Technology Strategy Board over the three years 2008-11 was £200 million. Research Councils and the Technology Strategy Board are committed to continue to work together; detailed decisions on future collaborative funding will be made by them in due course.

Business: Regulation

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent progress has been made in implementing the one-in-one-out rule to reduce the level of business regulation.

Mark Prisk: On April 7 2011, the Government published the first in a series of publications entitled ‘One-in, One-out: Statement of New Regulation’, which will be published twice a year. The Statement of New Regulation showed that the Government's One-in, One-out rule has resulted in an overall reduction in the net cost to business and civil society organisations of -£3.207 billion.
	When work started on the Statement of New Regulation, Departments proposed a total of 157 domestic regulatory measures, 119 of which would have imposed a cost to business. In the course of preparing the Statement of New Regulation the requirement for the estimates to be assessed and confirmed by the independent Regulatory Policy Committee was rigorously imposed, and Departments were challenged to defend particular regulatory decisions. The result was that the total number of proposed regulations dropped by 70% (from 157 to 46). Of the remaining 46 measures only 11 impose a net cost to business, 26 impose a zero net cost to business and nine reduce the net cost to business.

Businesses

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to remove regulatory burdens from businesses.

Mark Prisk: The Government have set out a clear aim—to leave office having reduced the overall burden of regulation.
	We have already taken a number of important steps towards this goal. For example, the Statement of New Regulation, published in April, showed that from an initial 157 proposed new domestic regulations, robust implementation of the one-in, one-out rule meant that the total number of regulations being implemented was reduced by 70% (from 157 to 46), of these only 11 imposed a net cost on business (£65 million) which was outweighed by a considerable reduction in burdens elsewhere (£3.3 billion).
	We have also ended ‘gold plating’ of EU directives, introduced sunset clauses for new regulation and announced an unprecedented three-year regulatory moratorium from new domestic regulation for micro-businesses and new start-ups.
	The ‘One-in, One-out: Statement of New Regulation’ is available here:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/better-regulation/docs/o/11-p96a-one-in-one-out-new-regulation.pdf

Businesses: Advisory Services

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the number of business mentors.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 7 June 2011
	The Government want to improve access to and raise awareness of the diverse mentoring provision and expertise in the UK. To achieve this we have been working with the British Bankers' Association (BBA), UK trade bodies and mentoring organisations to develop a single web-based gateway. I understand that the BBA have identified approximately 50 key mentoring organisations which they hope will join the portal. These organisations have approximately 12,000 business mentors currently aligned to them.
	BIS is working with the BBA to make a more comprehensive assessment of the number of business mentors and to engage mentoring organisations, business organisations, multi-national corporations and the banks to determine how to expand provision of business mentoring.

Departmental Manpower

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make it his policy to publish monthly information on changes in the numbers of his Department's employees categorised by (a) seniority, (b) number of employees taking voluntary redundancy, (c) natural wastage and (d) involuntary redundancy.

Edward Davey: The Government are committed to transparency and the availability of data and is currently exploring options for the more frequent publication of this type of workforce management information across the civil service.
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish information on employment levels by responsibility level as part of the Annual Civil Service Employment survey as well as information on the overall number of leavers by Department including BIS. This can be viewed at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=2899
	ONS publish information on employment levels across the civil service as part of the Quarterly Public Sector Employment Bulletin, which can be viewed at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=13615

Education: Prisoners

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to Making Prison Work: Skills for Rehabilitation, how many and what proportion of offenders paid for learning in prison in the last year for which figures are available; and how many and what proportion he expects to pay for learning in prison following the implementation of the review's recommendations.

John Hayes: Data on the number offenders currently paying for their learning while in prison is not collected centrally.
	“Making Prisons Work: Skills for Rehabilitation” made clear the Government's view that not all learning in prison should be free, particularly when there is an expectation elsewhere in the system that learners will contribute to costs. We have committed to considering the case for offenders, and employers, contributing to the costs of intermediate and higher level training, and to making sure arrangements for prisoners studying higher education are aligned with mainstream changes from autumn 2012.
	It is not currently possible to estimate how many or what proportion of prisoners will pay for learning in prison until we have considered these issues further.

Education: Prisoners

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to Making Prison Work: Skills for Rehabilitation, when he expects a loans system to be in place to enable offenders to pay for further education and higher education in prison.

John Hayes: For further education and training, “Skills for Sustainable Growth” set out the Government's intention to introduce loans, from the 2013/14 academic year, to help people access the funds they need to gain intermediate and higher level skills. Further information on those loans will be made available in a consultation document we intend to publish during June.
	Loan arrangements are already in place to support prisoners studying full-time higher education. The Minister for Universities and Science, my right hon. Friend the Member for Havant (Mr Willetts), announced in his oral statement of 3 November 2010, Official Report, column 924, on higher education funding and student finance that part-time students will be entitled to a loan for tuition on the same basis as full-timers, and that the Government intends to implement these changes for the 2012/13 academic year. Access to loans for prisoners studying higher education on a part-time basis will be considered in conjunction with the other changes required to give effect to this.

Higher Education

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  with reference to the report of the Higher Education Funding Council for England on Diverse provision in higher education: options and challenges, if he will take steps to ensure that higher education courses provided by private providers are subject to the same standards of (a) transparency, (b) assessment and (c) measures of student satisfaction as publicly-funded higher education institutions;
	(2)  with reference to the report of the Higher Education Funding Council for England on Diverse provision in higher education: options and challenges, what steps he plans to take to maintain the reputation of higher education;
	(3)  with reference to the report of the Higher Education Funding Council for England on Diverse provision in higher education: options and challenges, if he will take steps to ensure that private providers of higher education have a duty to widen participation;
	(4)  with reference to the report of the Higher Education Funding Council for England on Diverse provision in higher education: options and challenges, whether private providers of higher education will be subject to the same quality assessment regime as publicly-funded higher education institutions;
	(5)  what assessment he has made of the report of the Higher Education Funding Council for England on Diverse provision in higher education: options and challenges in relation to private provision of higher education;
	(6)  if he will take account of the risks identified by the Higher Education Funding Council for England in its report on Diverse provision in higher education: options and challenges in further consultation on private provision of higher education;
	(7)  what discussions he has had with representatives of the higher education sector on the report of the Higher Education Funding Council for England on Diverse provision in higher education: options and challenges;
	(8)  if he will (a) undertake and (b) publish an assessment of the risks to the public higher education sector of the expansion of private higher education providers;
	(9)  if he will bring forward proposals to mitigate the risks associated with an expansion of private provision in higher education identified by the Higher Education Funding Council of England in its report on Diverse provision in higher education: options and challenges.

David Willetts: The future regulatory regime for all providers of higher education will be considered in the forthcoming White Paper. This will set out the Government’s proposals to encourage a more diverse and competitive higher education sector alongside an appropriate regulatory regime, which ensures high standards and protects students. An impact assessment covering any proposed regulatory changes will be published alongside the White Paper.
	The Higher Education Funding Council for England’s (HEFCE) report “Diverse provision in higher education: options and challenges” was sent to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), on 28 July 2010. The Department welcomed the report as a valuable contribution to our thinking on how to encourage high quality and diverse provision that offers students a wider choice. The Secretary of State and I requested that the report be made publicly available in the annual grant letter to HEFCE on 20 December 2010. HEFCE published the report in February and is available at:
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/learning/flexible/statement.htm
	The Secretary of State and I have not held specific discussions on the HEFCE report with representatives of the higher education sector.

Investment: North East

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to encourage investment in the North East.

Mark Prisk: The Government have invited both the Tees Valley and North Eastern Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to establish their governance arrangements bringing business and civic leaders work together to drive sustainable economic growth and create the conditions for private sector job growth in their communities.
	These LEPs have been invited to submit proposals for Enterprise Zones which will benefit from:
	A business rate discount worth up to £275,000 per business over a five year period;
	All business rate growth within the Enterprise Zone for a period of at least 25 years will be retained by the local area, to support the Partnership's economic priorities and ensure that Enterprise Zone growth is reinvested locally;
	Government help to develop radically simplified planning approaches for the Zone, for example, existing Local Development Orders;
	Government support to ensure that superfast broadband is rolled out throughout the Zone, achieved through guaranteeing the most supportive regulatory environment and, if necessary, public funding.
	Further to these incentives the Government will work with LEPs on additional options, to suit local circumstances, including consideration of:
	Enhanced capital allowances for plant and machinery, in a limited number of cases and subject to State Aid, where there is a strong focus on manufacturing;
	Tax increment finance to support the long-term viability of the area;
	The North also benefited from £57 million in the first round of the Regional Growth Fund which provides funding for high-quality transport infrastructure, apprenticeships and support for science.
	The Government introduced a National Insurance Contributions holiday starting on 22 June 2010 up until 5 September 2013 providing new businesses that start up outside of the Greater South East with a substantial reduction in their employer contributions.
	UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is the UK's national trade and investment promotion agency, and leads on delivering a whole-of-government approach to attracting high quality, high value investment to the UK. Support for inward investment in England, including the North East, is provided by a new national UKTI-led service outsourced to the private sector. As part of this national inward investment service, a UKTI Investment Services team in Durham will work with local partners, including LEPs, to attract high quality inward investment projects to the North East.

Knowledge Economy: Liverpool

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to encourage the growth of the knowledge economy in the Liverpool city region.

David Willetts: The Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has identified the knowledge economy as one of its four key priorities. A plan to accelerate key areas of the economy has been devised by the City Region's Knowledge Economy Group, comprising representatives from The Mersey Partnership, the university of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores university, Liverpool Vision and some of the City Region's key knowledge based businesses. Proposals in the plan could secure an additional 58,000 jobs and in excess of £217 million added GVA for the region's knowledge economy by 2022.
	The LEP has received £45,000 from the BIS LEP Capacity Fund, to help local partners better understand their business environment and to identify the actions they need to take to drive their priorities forward.
	A project to stimulate small and medium enterprises (SMEs) growth in Liverpool through media advocacy has been awarded to the Liverpool Echo from the Regional Growth Fund. This will result in grants of between £10,000 and £100,000 to SMEs (including those in the Knowledge Economy) together with mentoring and coaching.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the representation of micro-businesses on local enterprise partnerships.

Mark Prisk: As set out in the White Paper on Local Growth the Government will normally expect to see business representatives form half the board, with a prominent business leader in the chair. Furthermore, we encourage board members to be drawn from a breadth of experience from micro enterprises through to large businesses, and representing the key sectors in the Local Enterprise Partnership area.

Vocational Training

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to address skills shortages nationally.

John Hayes: The coalition's skills strategy set out our plans to address the nation's skills shortages and realise our ambition to create a world-class skills base. We are addressing current weaknesses in the vital intermediate technical skills that are increasingly important as jobs become more highly skilled and technological change accelerates. We have already made significant progress in the short time since the skills strategy's publication.
	We have placed apprenticeships at the heart of the system, expanding, improving and reshaping them so that technician level—Level 3—becomes the level to which learners and employers aspire. We are creating clear routes from apprenticeships to higher level training. Alongside apprenticeships there will be a wider and more flexible system of vocational qualifications that meets the needs of the economy.
	In addition, we have established the Growth and Innovation Fund to support employers to be more ambitious about raising skills to reach their growth potential. And we have refocused the role of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills to be a true vehicle for economic growth and social partnership, with employers, trade unions and others coming together to give effective leadership on skills. One of the UKCES's strategic objectives is to provide high quality labour market intelligence to enable the supply of skills to be matched with demand more effectively.